GOSHEN, Ind. — REAL News Michiana has obtained court records showing former Goshen Mayor and School Board Member Allan Kauffman has agreed to plea guilty to one felony count in relation to a 2022 School Board election fraud scandal. In return, the state will dismiss all five misdemeanors he is currently being charged with. According to court records, Kauffman also agrees to spend two weekends (four nights) in the Elkhart County Jail, one year of probation and 50-hours of community service. While the plea agreement has been signed off by both Kauffman and the prosecution, it is still waiting for the judge’s approval.
Kauffman and four others, including three current Goshen School Board Members and a Goshen School Board candidate, were all charged with crimes related to the scandal in February of this year. Two of the other suspects already took plea deals. Two others are scheduled to go to trial later this year.
THE CRIMES
The criminal charges came more than a year after a REAL News Michiana investigation highlighted several election crimes committed by multiple members of the Goshen School Board. All of the suspects are Democrats who viciously attacked their conservative opponents and appeared to use illegal tactics in the process.
Kauffman was initially charged with one felony for Filing Fraudulent Report and five misdemeanors for Accepting a Contribution Made in Another’s Name. Kauffman resigned from the school board shortly after the charges were filed.
School Board Members Jose Elizalde, Mario Garber and Roger Nafziger were all charged with one felony for Filing Fraudulent Report and one misdemeanor for Accepting a Contribution Made in Another’s Name. Failed school board candidate Andrea Johnson is facing the same charges. Elizalde and Nafziger took plea agreements earlier this year. Johnson and Garber have trial dates set for later this year.
The court documents giving a narrative of the events and the charges can be seen below.
In December of 2022, REAL News Michiana outlined the complaint and beginning of the investigation into Kauffman and others. The story was ignored by all of the legacy outlets.
The issue revolves around essentially a money laundering scheme in which Kauffman was given money raised by a third party for a campaign from several donors. Kauffman then made a lump sum donation in his name to multiple school board candidates he was supporting, making it appear as if it were a private, personal donation made only by him. The alleged reason for the actions was to hide the names of the people making the donations.
According to Indiana election law, a third party that raises money in this fashion must be registered as a Political Action Committee (PAC). The PAC must file public reports with the names of donors that include the amounts of their donations. Making donations in the name of another person is a crime.
Indiana Code 3-14-1-11 states the following:
Sec. 11. A person who:
(1) recklessly makes a contribution in the name of another person; or
(2) knowingly accepts a contribution made by one person in the name of another
person; commits a Class B misdemeanor.
RNM discovered a complaint had been filed with the Elkhart County Election Board shortly after the 2022 Election. Included in the complaint are social media posts made by Kauffman admitting to the scheme. In one post Kauffman says, “The donations were combined and given to me to apportion to the candidates…”
Also included in the 2022 Election Board complaint is a Facebook message sent from school board candidate Mario Garber in which he confirms the potential campaign finance crimes.
“My understanding is that a large number of retired teachers and others donated to the cause. Someone collected the donations and gave them to Allan (Kauffman) and he distributed among the candidates.” Garber wrote.
According to campaign finance forms filed with the Elkhart County Clerk’s Office, Kauffman made two large donations to school board candidate Roger Nafziger’s campaign totalling nearly $6,000.
According to the original 2022 complaint, Kauffman was accused of making similar donations to other school board candidates as well. At the time, those campaign finance documents were not immediately available for RNM to review. However, documents from the criminal case confirm those donations were made.
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